The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, “When a person has on the skin of his body a swelling or an eruption or a spot, and it turns into a case of leprous disease on the skin of his body, then he shall be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons the priests… he is a leprous man, he is unclean. The priest must pronounce him unclean; his disease is on his head.
Leviticus 13:1–2, 44–46, ESV
The leprous person who has the disease shall wear torn clothes and let the hair of his head hang loose, and he shall cover his upper lip and cry out, ‘Unclean, unclean.’ He shall remain unclean as long as he has the disease. He is unclean. He shall live alone. His dwelling shall be outside the camp.
This reading comes from the Torah scroll that sits at the centre of Moses’ grand narrative. Before Leviticus, Moses and Aaron can’t enter the LORD’s tent of meeting (constructed in the latter chapters of Exodus). After Leviticus, they can. The study of what happened to open the way for communion with God is one I think every believer is invited to enter into over and over again. The problem is complex, and the solution provided is deep and comprehensive.
This passage is one such study-within-a-study: a disorder, a pronouncement of “unclean”, a life lived in exile. The story doesn’t end there, thankfully. As bonus study, keep reading into chapter 14 for the reversal: the disorder is ordered, the pronouncement of “clean”, and restoration back into community living.
The subject is rich, so where to begin? As an object of meditation, we’ll let our attention be drawn to our Exemplar’s uncovered head and his own self-pronouncement. Then we’ll listen to a poet’s own meditations on this passage and continue the journey ever inward, toward wisdom and insight, and ultimately, toward an encounter with God.
A confession of the lips
he shall… cry out, ‘Unclean, unclean.’
Our Exemplar’s cry, “unclean”, is not simply referring to his medical state or what kind of pathogens are being carried. Unclean (Heb. טָמֵא ṭâmê), especially here in Leviticus, is referring to his moral state, his fitness for upstanding participation in family, community life and ceremonial worship.
Let’s not get distracted as hyper-medicalized westerners; this scroll is not a medical dictionary. It’s a religious dictionary which uses incarnational language—human hair, skin, blood, and body fluids all play a part in the telling of a sacramental story. We learn about outward signs that communicate inward reality. In this case, skin disease narrates as a sign of personal brokenness and disorder.
Notice that no one is crying “unclean” for him—it is his own confession. Our Exemplar is not just making a private, quiet announcement to a select few. This one is meant to be a loud proclamation, like an old-world herald in the city square, or a quarterback yelling signals to the offence while preparing to take the snap of the football. Everyone within a long earshot is to be made unambiguously aware.
But whatever has obstructed our Exemplar’s participation in the life and worship of the community (here called leprousy), it is not a secret. Not to him, not to the priests, not to the wider community. Everyone is made aware of the problem. Isn’t it true—our personal problems can rarely be kept secret forever.
And is this not the first step to the righting of any wrong—telling the truth? How can we ever be healed of what we refuse to name? How can we ever be freed from that which we are too afraid to speak of? In the case of sin, silence is bondage, but confession opens the way forward to freedom and reconciliation.
The exposure of the problem
let the hair of his head hang loose
Typically our Exemplar’s head would have been covered with a turban as a regular course of dress. In the West simple hats are more common, especially on hot, sunny days, and the occasional bad hair day.
The Prophets contain more stories of clothing (or lack of) as object-lesson. Jeremiah used ragged underwear (Jeremiah 13) as proof of the covenant people’s moral rot (yuk!), and Isaiah had to wear assless chaps for three whole years (Isaiah 20) as a foreshadowing of the national humiliation to come (sorry, buddy). Even into the New Testament John’s camelhair shirt (Matthew 3) was a prophetic statement—a call to mourning, repentance, and moral cleansing.
We often cover our messy bed-heads and hide from others what we are ashamed to show in public. But our Exemplar is told to not wear his usual covering, resulting in hair that will “hang loose”. The problem is not just named, it is exposed to view. “Show me,” says the parent to the sobbing child who holds her bashed elbow. It takes courage to reveal brokenness, and grace to pursue wholeness in the face of crippling personal grief.
Covering, not hiding
I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I did not cover up;
Psalm 32:5
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD;” And You forgave the iniquity of my sin.
Slowly the injury is revealed, and exposed to the touch of a healer. This poet is meditating on Torah and becomes our spiritual Exemplar. The problem is owned on a personal level, identified and deeply known, with no attempt to conceal the pain and brokenness. The lips follow suit, giving voice and telling the truth, hard as it is for us to say, and sometimes for others to hear, especially when it has hurt them by extension.
What follows is what we all long for, all wish for. Through the divine power of Jesus’ intercession for us, we receive forgiveness from the LORD God. Then the loud and joyful pronouncement from all the angels and saints of “Clean! Clean!” We brush the tears aside, smile for the first time in a while, take a minute to wash our face, put on our favourite hat, and then freely and joyfully return to dwell in the camp of loving family, supportive community and authentic worship.
With cleansing of the wound and fresh balm and bandage applied, the disease of sin is now covered with dressing that will continue the healing process.
How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered!
Psalm 32:1
Bonus. The “unblemished substitute” is a major theme in Leviticus. In Mark 3 Jesus heals a leprous man, then takes his place—Jesus ends up in a desolate place, not able to openly enter town, living “outside the camp”. Jesus is now the one in exile. Doing what? Luke 5:16 tells us he is out there, praying.